


Love On The Brain

by Agent00711



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Cinderella Elements, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Minor Original Character(s), Mistaken Identity, Nice Armitage Hux, Original Character(s), POV Second Person, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Reader-Insert, Stereotypes, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:42:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23320069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent00711/pseuds/Agent00711
Summary: You are forced to attend a gala on a planet that the First Order is hoping to gain support and resources from. You are uncomfortable in these types of situations, so you do what any self-respecting, independent woman would do: Look for the closest place to hide. Unfortunately, your chosen hiding place is already occupied.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Reader, Armitage Hux/You
Comments: 36
Kudos: 155





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there everyone! So this is my first time ever posting a story for other people to read. Yikes! So hopefully people think it's good and enjoy it. It has not been beta read so I'm hoping there aren't too many mistakes and that I got all the formatting right.
> 
> I would definitely welcome all feedback. I'd like to learn and grow from this experience. So feel free to leave your comments for me.
> 
> *Fun Fact* - Everything I write is named after the song that inspired it. Some of the tie-ins are a little more obvious than others. This story was inspired by Rihanna's song Love On The Brain

You shifted uncomfortably yet again and tried to adjust the top of the gown you had been forced into for this stupid gala. The bodice was way too tight in your opinion, even though the First Order stylist that had dressed you said it was a perfect fit. You also wished that it would cover more of your cleavage. The dipped neckline went a little too low for your comfort.

The gown was strapless so your bare arms were freezing as you sat pressed against the cold bulkhead of the transport ship carrying you planetside. Thankfully this particular planet was known for its temperate climate. You hoped tonight would be one of the more mild evenings or you might develop hypothermia at this rate.

You couldn’t deny it was a beautiful gown though. You thought it would have looked positively stunning on someone more elegant than yourself. It was floor length with a deep crimson colored bodice that faded into black at the bottom of the full skirt. The bodice itself was embroidered with black lace that made up an intricate pattern and studded with sparkling red crystals. It really was fit for royalty.

The stylist that had dressed you for the evening had also given you a pair of matching shoes. You were grateful that they were a pair of kitten heels, you didn’t think you could handle anything taller, as you were used to wearing military boots. Some of your female co-workers wore high heels everyday. You could not wrap your mind around how they walked properly with their feet at that angle. And the noise that they made while walking across the durasteel decks was maddening. They were the least stealthy type of footwear in the galaxy.

Then, the stylist had also picked out some gorgeous jewelry for the ensemble. The coordinating necklace, bracelet and earrings you were currently wearing were made of a rare type of crystal called Kyber. You had never heard of it before, but you were sure it probably cost more than your entire year’s salary. These particular stones were small and a dark blood red color set in simple gold settings.

Lastly, the stylist had also insisted that your hair and make-up had to be done. This had not pleased you at all and you had protested vehemently, but ultimately lost that fight. You never wore make-up because you hated the heavy feeling of it caked on your skin and really it was much too bothersome to deal with on a regular basis. She had done a nice enough job with it though and had made it look as natural as possible. Afterwards, she had spritzed you down with some type of floral perfume.

Your hair on the other hand looked amazing. Even you had been stunned by the results of all the stylist’s repeated spraying, pulling and blow drying. You normally wore your hair put up in one of the regulation hairstyles because they were both quick and functional, but for the evening the stylist had created soft curls. She had then pulled some of them back into an elaborate knot and pinned them in place leaving the rest of your hair to cascade down your back in shining waves. The hairpin itself was a piece of masterwork craftsmanship too. It was covered with more of the Kyber crystals inlaid in beautiful gold filigree.

Once the stylist had completed your entire look, she had you stand so she could appraise all of her work. She snapped at you to straighten your posture as she completed her 360. Pronouncing her work as flawless and her job now finished she told you not to dawdle. You were to go straight to a shuttle headed planetside.

When you were out of her line of sight though, you had made a beeline in the opposite direction towards your own quarters. There was no way you were going anywhere without being armed. You had slipped into your own rooms and quickly strapped on a thigh holster with your blaster and a vibroblade your father had given you when you left to join the First Order. He had even had it engraved for you. It was definitely one of your most treasured possessions now that he had passed away.

Women’s clothing was so impractical, especially for carrying concealed weapons you had lamented. Under normal circumstances you would never be caught dead in an outfit like this. In fact, when working your regular shift on the bridge you wore the men’s uniform. It was much more pragmatic to wear pants than the pencil skirts the female officers typically wore. Pants allowed for you to have a full range of motion which was necessary as you often found yourself doing repair work underneath the consoles of different workstations.

Besides, you worked the ‘overnight’ shift which was the sleep cycle for most of the Finalizer’s crew so no one really cared what you wore anyway. Especially not your Captain. As long as you performed your job exceptionally you were given a little leeway. And you always performed exceptionally. You suspected that the older man had a soft spot for you as well, not that he would ever admit it.

That wasn’t to say favoritism had anything to do with you attaining your position. You had worked for years to get to this point. Trained hard to be the top of your class. Studied in your free time to become more well rounded and better informed. Given up any pretense of having a social life or dating. Being an officer in the First Order was the only thing you ever wanted to be and it was a dream come true...Except during events such as these. Diplomacy was never your strong suit.

These galas were a necessary evil though. It was an opportunity for the members of different planet’s aristocracy and higher government officials to rub elbows with various officers of the First Order. Your job at these events was to make a good impression and sway these diplomats to the First Order’s cause. This was how the First Order was able to secure more funding and resources to further its agenda, so despite your personal feelings you would dutifully fulfill your role.

Fortunately, you didn’t have to participate in these often. The highest ranking officers always went to these parties, but the lower ranking officers such as yourself were always put into a rotation for the ‘honor’ of attending. This was perfectly fine with you. The less time you had to spend away from the ship the better. There was always work to be done aboard the Finalizer and you enjoyed your work.

Some of your peers on the other hand seemed to enjoy coming to these events more than working. Especially your female co-workers. They got all giggly at the idea of dressing up and going planetside for a night of fancy food, drinking and dancing. You would just roll your eyes at them. Your time could be better spent on improving ship functions rather than spending hours getting dressed up to fly down for a night of pointless socializing. Yes, these events were important for the Order, but a low ranking officer like yourself wouldn’t be the one to seal any important deals. That would be handled by someone important, like the General himself.

General Hux. You let out a soft sigh as your mind fills with countless thoughts of him. He was someone you aspired to be like. He was proof that hard work and dedication could take you far in the First Order. Sure, he had a family background in military service, but he had never used his father’s legacy to his advantage. He had proved himself more than capable and had earned his promotions based on his own merits alone. You knew from studying his records that he had been top of his class during his academy days and his military records showed him to be a brilliant tactician and natural leader. Plus the man was incredibly handsome. It was fair to say you were slightly infatuated.

The shuttle rumbled and shook as it entered the atmosphere and descended towards the planet’s surface. You were sitting close enough to the cockpit that you could see out of the shuttle’s main viewport. The sun had already set so the sky was dark, but below you the sprawling city was lit up with thousands of pinpricks of light. As the shuttle dropped below the lowest cloud layer, you could see that the city was built along the coast of a vast ocean. You imagined during the day it was breathtaking.

The shuttle jostled slightly as it touched down in a docking bay attached to the venue hosting the gala. As the ramp lowered, your fellow passengers began to disembark, some chatting excitedly while others had the same steely look of resolve you imagined was on your face. You took your time removing your crash harness and were generally just dragging your feet, but you could not avoid your duty any longer. You stood as gracefully as you could and smoothed out the ruffles in your skirt, then marched with purpose down the ramp.

You were held up momentarily by armed security guards blocking the entryway. They looked you over and apparently did not see you as a threat. Foolish of them you thought to yourself. They ushered you through the venue entrance into a kind of foyer. On the opposite wall there were large doors propped open and beyond them you could see an immense ballroom. As you walked across the foyer, you found yourself fairly pissed off that security was so lax at an event that so many high ranking First Order officers were attending. 

The ballroom was already packed when you stepped through the doors because you had purposely waited for one of the last transports leaving the Finalizer. And you would certainly try to be on one of the first available transports back at the end of the night. You recognized a few of your fellow officers already mingling with the locals, but most of the people here were strangers. The planet’s native population all seemed to have the same sun-kissed tan complexion, giving them a healthy glow compared to your pale skin that never saw the light of day...well, anywhere.

Many of the men were dressed in elaborate, layered robes that seemed to be made of heavy brocade fabrics and accented with golden embellishments. The women on the other hand were mostly dressed in sheer robes that left little to the imagination. All of them seemed to be wearing torques of different designs and various metals around their necks, some more ornamented and heavy than others. The women that were dancing were moving in a very provocative manner. You felt slightly embarrassed at the raw display of sexuality all around you. 

In the distance you could see a tall man with bright coppery hair. You, of course, would recognize General Hux anywhere. The General commanded attention in any room he entered. He exuded an aura of authority and confidence that no one could match. You found him both intimidating and fascinating at the same time. You had never had the opportunity to work directly with him, but it was your primary ambition.

You realized you had been staring at the General for a length of time that was past being considered polite and was rapidly moving into creepy territory. You could feel your face heating up as you watched him moving gracefully through the crowd. He looked so handsome in his dress uniform and greatcoat. Tearing your eyes from him, you quickly scanned the ballroom looking for the most secluded spot you could find to hide. You were uncomfortably aware that your appearance had attracted the attention of some of the males in the room and more were turning to stare at you.

You made your way as quickly and carefully as you could down the stairs of the entrance, you could only move so fast in these ridiculous shoes. You had spied an area towards the back of the huge room that had several large potted plants for decor. Perhaps you could hide amongst the foliage unnoticed.

No such luck. You had only made it a quarter of the way across the hall before a man stepped into your path. He was obviously a local aristocrat and you supposed he was handsome in his own way, but you couldn’t stop yourself from comparing him to the man you were just admiring. He could never hold a candle to General Hux.

The man was quite young with a dark tan complexion and wavy platinum blonde hair. His eyes were a golden honey color and he had the whitest teeth you had ever seen. Definitely an exotic combination. You only noticed the last part because he was giving you a brilliant smile and his eyes seemed to flash mischievously. He was also dressed in the heavy layers of embellished robes which seemed to be the formal wear of choice for the males of this planet.

“Well hello there miss.” he said smoothly in accented Basic. “You are by far the most beautiful woman in the room. Simply stunning.” he said while laying a kiss on your right hand. You wanted to roll your eyes. It didn’t matter what planet the men were from, they still used the same stale pick-up lines, but he seemed harmless enough. It would be nice to find a man that complimented you on your intellect for a change though. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Azar Alzayadi di Momodos of the Momodos Trading Association.” he said bowing with a slight flourish.

“If you are not otherwise engaged would you do me the great honor of being my partner for the next dance?” Try as you might, you could not think of a reason to refuse him so you reluctantly answered in the affirmative. Again, he smiled in a dazzling sort of way and took you gently by the hand. He carefully led you through a crowded area that had been set up with tables and chairs for dining.

Many of the people seated at these tables were obviously inhabitants of this planet, most of them men and boys. They sat around talking and sharing food or drinks. You could see a few of the males guffawing together or some arguing loudly in their native language. All while the females sat quietly in what you could only describe as subservient positions next to them. None of the women moved, talked or ate. They all kept their eyes downcast, staring intently at the floor. Again, you noticed they all wore thin, gauzy outfits and those heavy collars. Then a terrible thought crossed your mind. Were these women slaves?

Horrified and distracted by your assumption, you allowed yourself to be led to the dance floor, which was towards the back of the ballroom and fairly close to the plants you had been eyeballing earlier. Perhaps you could give your would be suitor the slip and sneak off at some point. You gulped as you felt his hand come to rest at your waist. Suddenly, he no longer seemed charming. You felt disgusted thinking that this man might have a pack of women chained up in his own home. Only for the sake of diplomacy did you let him start leading you around the room.

“So miss,” he began, “tell me more about the First Order.” He spun you around a few times before continuing to navigate with you across the floor. Thankfully, this was an easy topic for you to discuss. As you talked more and more about the First Order’s plans for expansion and the future you wished to help build, he appeared to be totally engrossed in the conversation. He asked questions for clarification and seldomly interjected with any comments. He seemed content to let you talk while he listened. At least until he wanted to talk about the dynamics of the men and women aboard a starship.

“So tell me, how do you find it living and working with so many men in such close proximity.” he asked.

“What do you mean?” You were genuinely confused, not sure what he was implying.

“Do you not find it difficult to control your baser urges to mate with all these men?” At first, you were taken aback by the question then you felt your face begin to heat up. Initially it was from the embarrassment of being asked such a personal question in such a nonchalant way, but it quickly morphed into anger as you glanced past him to another group of women being encouraged to dance for a rowdy crowd of men.

Your tone was sharper than was probably wise when you answered, but your temper was clouding your rational mind. “No, I don’t find it difficult. In fact, I have no desire to ‘mate’ with any of the men aboard the Finalizer.” This wasn’t strictly true. You had, in fact, been thinking about General Hux in such a way no more than a half hour ago.

“We have a mission to complete and there is always work to be done aboard the ship.” You continue in a harsh tone. “We don’t have time to have relationships. Not to mention most of the men aboard the ship are my subordinates.”

He appeared shocked at the change in your demeanor, but wisely didn’t comment on it. Instead, he tried to push through the awkwardness with another question. “Do you have many men that work as your subordinates?”

“Yes, of course.” You say “I’m an officer. Only 87 people on the Finalizer outrank me." You didn't mention that there were 168 officers of the same rank as you. "We advance men and women equally based on merit.” You glanced again in the direction of a group of the collared women kneeling on the floor.

He followed your gaze. “Ah, you believe that we do not allow women to hold positions of power?" He turned back around to face you. "We have many women of power here. The women you are looking at are Attendant Courtesans. This is a lifestyle they chose for themselves.”

“I don’t understand.” You say perplexed. “Why would someone choose that lifestyle?”

“Our birth ratio is about five females for every male born. We also have a large portion of our population living in poverty. Some of the more comely, impoverished females opt to become Courtesans rather than work a manual labor assignment. In return, they lead relatively luxurious lifestyles compared to their less fortunate counterparts.” he explained as you side-stepped another dancing couple.

“These Courtesans choose to sell themselves to wealthy families to try and provide them with more sons. When they are not with child they may do simple chores around the household and serve their master’s wives. When they are with child, they cease all other work and their only concern is delivering healthy offspring for their master.” he continued.

“They serve the wives? So you’re telling me that men have multiple wives and Courtesans all living in the same home?”

“Yes, is that so odd?” his tone is curious, as if he could not understand why you might find the idea distasteful.

“To me, yes that is odd. Where I come from two people dedicate themselves to each other. Only each other. Do you also have wives and Courtesans living together in your home?” you ask. The question sounds rude and accusatory, but now you’re genuinely curious.

“I do have a wife. She and I were joined during the last harvesting season. Perhaps in a few seasons I will take another wife. I do not yet have any Attendant Courtesans of my own. I am the youngest son of my family and not as well established as my brothers. One day when I have had more successful ventures of my own, then some Courtesans may choose to sell me their services.” This was all said in a casual manner, as if you and him were discussing the weather instead of sexual services offered for credits.

You didn’t know what to say to him. He had been so matter of fact about the situation that you could not think of anything else to ask, so you started on another topic. “You said that women do hold positions of power here. What kind of assignments do they do?”

He smiled, seemingly pleased at your attempt to be more civil or perhaps at your continued interest in his culture. “Have you not met our Ambassador?”

You shook your head. Truthfully, you never really paid much attention to the diplomats at these parties. They weren’t here to talk to you. “She is there, standing with your general I believe.”

Your head whipped around so quickly you may have wrenched your neck. Standing next to General Hux was a gorgeous woman. She was also wearing a floor length red dress, brighter than yours and solid in color, and her hair was styled in elegant curls, but that’s where the similarities between you stopped. She was taller than you and lighter than Azar, but still had a glowing tan complexion and a youthful face. There was an air of confidence about her and she had the kind of radiant smile that could bring a man to his knees.

She seemed to be deep in conversation with General Hux. His face was as stoic as ever and his eyes were constantly scanning the room. At one point your eyes met with his and you quickly turned away. When you looked back his attention was focused on her again. As she talked, on occasion, she would laugh daintily and touch his arm or hand. When she seemed to be feeling particularly bold, she leaned over and whispered into his ear, eyes flashing with obvious desire.

“She is Dazarri Doxis til Azos.” Azar said, pulling your attention away from the pair. “Her family are all well known politicians.” You had actually heard of the name Azos. Her father must be Altius Andori til Azos, one of the many members of the Galactic Senate. He was known to be quite outspoken.

Turning back to him you say “Yes, I’m familiar with her father. I never realized he had a daughter who was a diplomat.”

“Yes, she is a credit to our people. She is both intelligent and beautiful. Quite remarkable. And she seems to have taken quite a liking to your general. What is his name again?”

Your grip on his hand tightened as you gritted out “General Hux.”

Azar smiled knowingly at you. “Yes, General Hux. He is probably an attractive catch for Dazarri. Someone of his coloration would be highly prized for mating. His hair color is rare. Like fire.”

“General Hux is not a stud for breeding like some kind of livestock. He is a brilliant military leader and above such menial desires.” Your voice had steadily risen during your impassioned defense of your commanding officer. Several other dancing couples had stopped moving to stare at you and Azar. You could feel your face flush as you realized you had attracted all kinds of unwanted attention. You nervously glanced around looking for General Hux to make sure he was not witnessing this spectacle, but thankfully he seemed to have disappeared.

You did however see a familiar face moving through the crowd toward you and Azar. You could feel a sense of relief wash over you as your Captain approached. He was attired in his dress uniform and looked quite dapper. You had a moment of jealousy, wishing you could be wearing jodhpurs and a formal coat instead.

You let go of Azar and stood at attention “Captain Radde.” You saluted the older man stiffly.

“At ease Lieutenant.” he said gruffly. He turned to speak to Azar “May I cut in sir?” he asked, indicating that he wanted to take over as your dance partner.

“Of course, Captain.” Azar replied politely before turning towards you “Until we meet again, miss.” he said bowing and taking his leave. You watch Azar walk through the crowd towards the bar until your Captain’s voice brings your attention back to him.

“Lieutenant.” Radde said, offering his hand. You took it and moved into position. In a matter of moments, your Captain had you twirling with him across the room.

“Do you want to explain yourself Lieutenant?”

“I don’t…” you begin, faltering.

“You do understand why we are here. I know you are aware of how important these functions are to the First Order.” These are statements he makes. There is no question. You nod your head, starting to feel shame at failing in this simple task. “Then why Lieutenant are you causing a scene with the local nobility?”

“He was making vulgar statements about General Hux.” you say defiantly.

“And you think the General needs you to come to his defense? Needs you to protect his honor?” There is nothing you can say to this because of course General Hux doesn’t need you to fight his battles for him. Of course, his pristine reputation can stand up to the filthy, trivial innuendo made by some backwater planet’s poor excuse for aristocracy.

“No sir.” you say dejectedly while staring at the floor. You even think you feel your lip quiver as you pout.

“Well Lieutenant, no one could ever question your loyalty.” he remarks, his tone far less harsh. You look up to find him trying to hold back a slight smile. You feel relief. He is not truly angry with you, just using this as a teaching opportunity.

“No sir.” You can’t help but smile back. You revolve with him a few more times around the hall before he leads you off the dance floor fairly close to those plants.

“You look like you could use a break.” Truer words had never been spoken. 

“Yes, sir.”

“This is where I leave you then. And Lieutenant, no more shouting matches with the locals.” he says waving you off and walking away.

“Yes, sir…” you whisper at his retreating back, a soft smile playing at your lips. As you gaze past him you notice another group of men on the other side of the hall looking in your direction. One of them makes a vague gesture towards you with his hand, breaks away from the circle and starts heading your way. He staggers as he walks. It makes you think he is intoxicated.

“Not again,” you mutter. You were absolutely not getting dragged back out on that dance floor and you definitely were not in the mood to ‘chat’. You turned away from the advancing man and started retreating directly towards the foliage. You kept your head down and did not meet anyone’s eyes as you slipped behind the branches of the closest tree.

Once you were hidden behind your natural wall you could see a glass door that seemed to lead outside to some kind of promenade and beyond that some lush gardens. You shifted a few leaves on the nearest branch just to peek out and make sure you were safe, but your new admirer was still headed straight towards you.

You are annoyed by his persistence. It doesn’t take you long to realize that you only have one avenue of escape. You have no choice, but to go straight out that glass door. The evening air is warm as it hits your face. As you let the door close behind you, you take in your current surroundings.

To your left the terrace extends around the outside of the building. You quickly realize that direction is no good because it would force you to pass directly in front of windows leading into the ballroom. Anyone could see you meandering outside.

In front of you is a vast garden. It would be easy to lose your pursuer amongst the bushes and trees, but it is also dark. There is nothing to light up the area and it is so dense you might not be able to find your way out again.

To your right there is a dark building that looks like it might be either a greenhouse or a storage shed. You can’t tell if it’s locked, but you could still hide around the opposite side away from the main venue building. It seems like your best option given the circumstances so you dart in that direction.

You are just clearing the corner of the building when you hear the door slam shut again. You silently pray that he didn’t catch a glimpse of your huge skirt or the light from the party reflecting off all the crystals you seem to be covered in. You peer around the corner of the building to see him standing right where you had been a minute ago. He doesn’t appear to have seen which direction you went because he is squinting into the distance towards the gardens.

You are about to relax when, through what you can only assume is sheer dumb luck on his part, he decides to head in the direction of your hiding spot. Mentally cursing, you start looking around. There is a door about 15 feet away that you guess leads to a storage area. You really hope it is unlocked.

It might be your lucky night after all! You grab the handle and are able to quietly ease the door open and slip inside a pitch black room. You try to silently close the door behind you and for good measure you decide to move further inside the room. That way, even if he checked the door, you would be camouflaged by the darkness. You could hear him stomping around outside for a few moments before the footsteps retreat.

You wait for what seems like forever, but in reality it's probably a minute or two, before letting out the breath you didn’t even realize you were holding. You opt to stay for a few more minutes before attempting to exit the shed and sprinting for the nearest transport back to the Finalizer. As you linger there, you suddenly become aware of movement behind you. You’re about to turn to face your attacker when a pair of arms come around you from behind. You let out a startled gasp.

Except you are not being attacked, you are being held. Your stomach flutters unexpectedly at the feeling of the distinctly masculine arms pulling you closer, when a voice murmurs sensually in your ear.

“It took you long enough. I thought you had changed your mind.” Your breath caught in your throat. You would recognize that intense voice anywhere. General Hux was now pressing the entire length of his body against your back. He kept one arm securely around your waist holding you in place while his other hand traveled up the front of your chest to gently caress your neck. Using a light grip on your chin, he tilts your head to the side and starts placing soft kisses along your shoulder. He follows the curve up your neck until he reaches your ear. Nibbling on it delicately he whispers “Is this still what you want?”

You are frozen in place, your brain struggling to comprehend what is happening. It’s painfully clear to you now that you are not who he was waiting for. The envious part of your conscious mind wonders who he was expecting. Later, only when you were safely locked in your own quarters aboard the Finalizer, would the full gravity of what you were about to do truly sink in. At this point in time though, all of your thoughts were selfishly focused on taking whatever it was he was mistakenly offering you.

His lips were still working their magic on the sensitive spot behind your ear. Not trusting yourself to speak well enough to form a coherent sentence you replied with a simple “Mm-hmm.”

That was apparently good enough for him because he suddenly pushed you forward. Thinking you were about to drop face first onto the floor you put your hands out in front of you to break your fall, but instead you made contact with what felt like a wooden table. This was obviously what he had been aiming for because he was right behind you again reaching down to hike up the skirt of your dress.

While grabbing a fistful of material you felt his hand brush against your thigh holster. He also must have noticed the press of it against his fingers because he lifted your skirt higher and started to pat along the side of your leg looking for it. You started to panic when his hand closed around the grip of your blaster.

“What is this?” he sounds accusatory.

“I-it’s for my own protection. A girl never knows when she is going to need a good blaster at her side.” You reply in what you hope is a pacifying tone.

He still sounds suspicious when he says “Well, you shan’t need it with me.”

“No, of course not.” You agree. You slowly reach down and gingerly remove his fingers from the blaster. Then you unbuckle the holster and drop it on the table with an echoing ‘thunk’. You hoped that would mollify him and that you hadn’t killed the mood. He hesitates only for a moment before his hands are back on you. This time he pulls your skirt all the way above your hips. Then, he’s pushing you face down against the table top.

You feel your face flush with embarrassment. You're thankful it’s still dark in the shed. You can only imagine what you must look like right now. Bent over at the waist and presenting your ass to your commanding officer. He’s moving behind you, but you can’t tell what he’s doing until he drops his coat on the table where you had just dropped your weapons. His belt follows next and you swallow nervously. This is really going to happen.

Hux was behind you again, hands coming to rest on your hips. You could feel his thumbs caressing absently against your skin. Soon the rest of his fingers were trailing across your hips then up and down your thighs. He seemed to be enjoying the feeling of your smooth skin beneath his fingertips. On his next pass over your bottom, he deftly hooked his fingers on the sides of your panties and dragged them down. You helped by lifting your feet and kicking them off in a random direction.

Hux then used his foot to nudge your legs open wider for him. This adjustment of your body’s position caused your backside to rub against the front of his trousers and accidentally brush across his hard cock . He let out a deep, sinful groan. Suddenly he had a firm grip on your hips and was grinding his cloth-covered length against your ass. The noises he was making were like something out of a holo-porn. You would never have guessed that your General would make such salacious sounds. While he was still enjoying the friction he was creating with your body, he slipped his right hand over your stomach and down between your legs.

It only took him a second to find your clit. Soon you were making your own lewd noises to match his. You found yourself begging him for more. You weren’t quite sure what you wanted more of, just that you wanted him to give it to you. Those same fingers moved from your clit down to your entrance. You were already dripping wet and there was no resistance when he pushed both fingers inside you. You let out a pathetic whimper as he thrust his fingers in and out of your pussy, curling them to rub against your inner walls. 

“You are so wet already.” He was right. You could hear just how obscenely wet you were every time he pushed his fingers inside you. You were a quivering mess by the time he removed his hand and fumbled to get his pants undone. You whined at the empty feeling left by his retreating fingers, but you didn’t have to wait long. Soon you felt something larger prodding at your entrance. He didn’t give you any warning as he buried himself inside you to the hilt. You both let out moans at his intrusion into your body.

“Fuuuuckkk,” he draws out the word. “You are really tight.” That wasn’t surprising. You hadn’t slept with anyone since your academy days. You were more shocked by his use of profanity than anything. He didn’t seem like the type to be dropping swear words. Besides, you didn’t think it was so much that you were tight, but more likely that his cock was just massive. He remained motionless giving you time to adjust to his girth. You could feel him throbbing inside you. When he had deemed it had been long enough, he slid himself almost all the way out before slamming back into you.

He set a demanding pace and it felt amazing, but there was something still weighing on your mind. This was going to be your only time with him. This position was so impersonal. If this was going to be it, you wanted it to be more intimate. Memorable.

“Stop.” you say. He doesn’t seem to hear you. “Stop!” You reach behind you and put your hand against his chest.

He falters and stops. “Is there a problem?” he sounds confused and maybe a little hurt.

“No, I just want to change position.” You quickly reassure him. Keeping your hand on his chest you lightly push him back. Then you carefully gather the skirt up and turn towards him. Feeling behind you, you find the side of the table again. After pushing the yards of fabric behind you, you hop up on the edge so you can face him.

“Come here.” you practically purr. He hasn’t said anything while you were situating yourself. Perhaps, he is surprised that you are taking charge after being so passive or maybe he is curious to see what you have in mind. Either way, he complies. This time your hands find his hips and maneuver him between your knees.

You reach for his cock. It feels thick and heavy in your hand, still slick with your wetness. You stroke him firmly a few times, circling the head with your thumb on every upstroke. He is panting softly. You can feel his breath breezing across your face. When he seems to be at full hardness again, you guide him back to your entrance. This time he slides in with ease.

“Now fuck me. Hard.” you whisper. He doesn’t need any further encouragement. He braces himself against the table and holds you closer. His pace is brutal now and the table is rocking beneath you. You wrap your arms around the back of his neck and pull him down, bringing his forehead to rest against yours. Both of you are breathing hard, your exhales mingling together between you. You lose your fingers in his thick, red hair, enjoying the softness.

You're so close to reaching your peak now. You can feel your insides fluttering and your body just wants to clench down on his hardness. He can feel it too. His fingers are back at your clit again working at a vigorous rate.

“Cum for me.” he grunts out.

“Yesssssssir.” you mumble unintelligibly. You don’t last much longer. The pleasure hits you like a tidal wave and you are lost, as if you had been swept away. You can feel every muscle in your cunt clamping down on him as he continues to thrust with abandon. He doesn’t hold out much longer and soon he is groaning loudly as he spills his seed inside you. You continue to clutch on to him as your breathing starts to even out. As he softens, his cock slips out of you and you can feel his cum dripping down your thighs.

He untangles your fingers from his hair and takes a step back. You sigh and slide off the table to your feet, heels clicking on the hard floor. Your fantasy is coming to an end and reality is rushing up to meet you. Trying frantically to hold on to the last vestiges of this dream you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

“Can I kiss you?” You instantly regret asking. Even with all the things that you have let happen between you both tonight, this request makes you feel like you have finally overstepped the boundaries. But you are all in at this point. 

You don’t even wait for him to answer you. Before you know it, you are on your tiptoes with your arms around his neck again and your lips pressed to his. His lips are softer than you imagined, so you are really disappointed he is standing there so stiffly. You are about to pull back, sad he hadn’t returned your kiss when his arm comes up around your back pulling you in closer. Then he is kissing you back just as passionately. Elated, you use your tongue to trace his lips hoping he’ll get the hint. His lips part and his tongue is soon tangled with yours. Too soon, in your opinion, he is pulling back from you. In a last desperate attempt to keep him close, you gently take his bottom lip between your teeth forcing him to tug away from you slower.

You take a step back from him to give him his space. There is a definite smile on your face as you say “Thank you, sir.” You had said it without even thinking. It’s too late to take it back or try and cover your mistake. Now he will know for sure that the person he just fucked good and hard in this dark, dusty shed is a member of his crew. Damnit.

“What did you just say?” His voice sounds equal parts panicked, shocked and angry. His hand shoots out and grabs you by the wrist. It is at this moment you realize you have no escape route planned. Trying to think quickly about where you will go once you exit the shed, you break his grip on you. He was actually holding you quite loosely, probably because he was still too shocked at how this was unfolding. You make a dash for the door, slide it open and are outside already running when you hear several loud crashing noises behind you. General Hux had never refastened his trousers when you had finished and he had probably forgotten they were around his ankles.

You found yourself giving thanks for your stroke of luck and the fact you had not face planted in these damn shoes while running. You were through the glass door and back into the ballroom before he had cleared the shed. As you rejoined the rest of the crowd, you made sure your hair and dress were neat and orderly. You had lost your panties in the shed, but you weren’t worried about that. There was no way to tell they were yours.

You moved swiftly towards the foyer, intent on getting outside to a transport ship asap. Luck was still on your side, no one attempted to stop you as you made your way across the room. You were into the foyer, passing those guards you thought were idiots, up the ramp of the ship and taking off. Safe! Your mind practically screams as the transport docks on the Finalizer. Somehow you were going to get away with your deceitful little planetside tryst. You undressed and returned your borrowed formal wear to the tailoring department for cleaning then made your way back to your quarters. Once the door was secured you sagged down on your bed.

This had been both the best and worst night of your life, but it was coming to an end and you were about to make it through unscathed. Tomorrow things would return to normal and you would only remember the good parts of the evening. You closed your eyes intending to finally get some sleep, but something was still nagging at the back of your mind. Then your eyes flew open.

“Fuck!” Your yell echoes off your durasteel walls. You had left your thigh holster with your weapons in the shed with General Hux. Your panties and blaster couldn’t be tracked back to you. The blaster was standard issue and easy to replace. But your vibroblade could be traced, assuming the person was clever enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have your own perspective about what happened at the gala, but what does Hux think about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I am completely overwhelmed at the reception of my first chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who left kudos, comments and bookmarked it. I am really glad people are enjoying it, as I am enjoying writing it.
> 
> This chapter is from Hux's perspective. It has some flashbacks. I'm sorry if it seems redundant, but I felt it was important to understand his frame mind as well. Going forward there will not be anymore chapters essentially done twice like this.
> 
> Again, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I would love any feedback you might have. Thank you all again so much!
> 
> P.S. I will continue to update asap, but I'm a 911 Dispatcher and I'm writing in my downtime. We are short staffed currently due to the pandemic and as an 'essential worker' I've been getting stuck at work doing a lot of overtime. When we are not in crisis mode at work, I am able to continue writing between calls for service, but it's not ideal. So please be patient with me.

Hux was angrier than he had ever been in his entire life. Not even Ren had pushed him to this point yet. The minute his shuttle had landed, Hux was stomping down the ramp and across the hanger bay. Everyone who saw him approaching wisely moved out of his path and tried to look busy.

Captain Phasma stood next to the turbolift waiting for him. She snapped to attention as he approached. “Sir, how was…” she trailed off as she took in his disheveled appearance.

“Get me the roster of every person that went to that gala. Every female!” he snapped at her.

If she was curious about his bizarre request, Captain Phasma didn’t express it nor did she hesitate now that he had given her an order. “Yes sir.” That is what made Phasma invaluable, she never questioned his orders.

They both entered the turbolift and rode it to the command deck. Hux was moving before the doors had completely opened. He turned back to Phasma. “I will be in my quarters. I’m not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency. I want that list sent to my datapad.” He was going to get to the bottom of this whole fiasco if it was the last thing he did. Without waiting for her acknowledgment, he left her standing in the corridor.

Hux entered the security code to open the entrance to his living quarters. As soon as the door swished closed behind him, he engaged all the privacy locks. He crossed the large area, that served both as his private office and a sitting room, to the doorway on the opposite wall. As he stepped into his sleeping quarters, he slid off his greatcoat and draped it over the door to his wardrobe. Then he stripped out of his dress uniform and put it in the receptacle for cleaning. 

Hux paced the length of his room several times trying to recall all the specifics of his encounter with the mystery woman in the shed. He was so agitated that his mind could not even conjure up the most broad details of his evening let alone any of the minutiae that might help him in his search. Grumbling in frustration he returned to his wardrobe to pull her discarded panties and the weapons holster out of his greatcoat's pocket. He stared at them, as if hoping they would suddenly give him all the answers he was seeking. Of course, there were no answers forthcoming.

He needed to take a shower and clear his head. He would never be able to focus and think logically if he let his anger get the best of him. He tossed both items on his bed and stepped into his ‘fresher unit. He turned on the water in the shower and waited for the temperature to adjust to his liking before stepping under the spray, letting the hot water relax his body and ease the tension out of his shoulders.

Hux took several deep, calming breaths and emptied his mind. He started soaping up his hair and focused on recalling the events of the evening. He remembered getting dressed in his attire for the gala, styling his hair and putting on the greatcoat. He remembered meeting with Captain Phasma and Lieutenant Mitaka, leaving instructions before heading to his shuttle. No...no, he needed to move past these events. They had no bearing on what happened. He skipped forward in his mind.  
_  
His shuttle was landing on Veustea II in the venue’s docking bay. This would be his first time meeting Ambassador Azos in person, all of their previous contact had been through correspondence. Tonight, he hoped to be able to negotiate some kind of arrangement with her for some of the raw materials the First Order needed._

_The sun was just beginning to set as he strode down the ramp of the transport ship followed by a group of stormtroopers. He was met halfway by Ambassador Azos, who was wearing a form-fitting, luminous red dress that hugged all of her curves. Her umber colored hair hung in long ringlets over her shoulders and down her back. She was being escorted by her own security entourage and had given him a flirtatious smile when she greeted him. Then she had grabbed him by the arm and directed him into the building._

_There were only a few dozen of his crew members already in the ballroom when he had arrived and he had not taken note of any of them in particular. His focus was on the rest of the guests, who were local politicians and aristocrats. He was required to start making his usual rounds almost immediately. He needed to meet and speak with as many dignitaries as possible. Ultimately, they would be the ones deciding whether to offer the funding and support the First Order needed._

_Hux loathed the fact that he had to essentially grovel for the resources required to create the future he envisioned. Once he had secured the materials needed to build his ultimate weapon, this type of diplomacy would no longer be necessary. Then, he would truly be able to bring order to the galaxy. But until that day, he was stuck shaking hands and making pointless small talk._

_He had spent about two hours giving the same spiel to so many people that he couldn’t keep track of them all. Most of them were men, but the few women he had spoken with he was sure were not his mystery female.  
_  
He mentally fast-forwarded again as he finished rinsing his hair. Grabbing his soap, he began to lather up his body. Hux recalled that he had ended up in conversation with Ambassador Azos after finishing his discussion with a group of businessmen that ran a mining company. It was this conversation that had precipitated everything leading up to the ‘shed incident’. He tried to call to mind everything that was said between them. She had started by laying her hand on his arm...  
_  
“Armitage, are you enjoying yourself?” she had asked him. It irked him that she so casually touched his body and used his name rather than his title._

_“Ambassador, your planet is quite lovely and your people are very hospitable.” he answered in a non-partisan tone._

_She had giggled at his response. Her laugh was high pitched and melodic, like the chiming of a bell. Not at all unpleasant sounding. “That’s the most politically safe answer I’ve ever heard.”_

_“It’s an honest answer Ambassador.” he said fixedly._

_“Now, now I’ll have none of this Ambassador nonsense. We are friends Armitage, are we not? Surely you can call me by my name.” she had grabbed his hand in both of hers._

_“Of course, Dazarri.” he replied slightly less stiffly. She had given him a sultry smile in response. He was sure many men would give anything to have her smiling at them like that, but his only interest was in the supplies he was hoping to obtain from this planet. He removed his hand from her grasp._

_Hux looked away from Dazarri to examine the room. His eyes roamed over the crowd, picking out his crew members mingling with the native population. His eyes met briefly with one of his female officers. He didn’t recognize her and he immediately wondered if he had ever seen her before, even in passing. She was dancing with a young noble and quickly dropped her gaze when she realized her General was looking directly at her. He smirked. He liked knowing his soldiers were intimidated by him._

_“Do you see something you like, Armitage?” he turned to face Dazarri again._

_“I beg your pardon?” he didn’t know what she meant._

_“I see you were watching those Courtesans dancing rather intensely.” she said, indicating a group of scantily clad women who were only ‘dancing’ in the loosest sense of the term. They were gyrating rather provocatively against one another while a crowd of men cheered heartily. They were directly behind his female officer and her dance partner._

_“No, I…” he began before Dazarri cut him off. She leaned over and whispered in his ear._

_“Armitage, I could bring you so much more pleasure than any of those Breeders.” she purred. Hux, of course, had studied this planet’s culture and customs before his meeting with Dazarri. He understood enough about the specifics of the Courtesan system to know that ‘Breeder’ was a derogatory term implying that a particular female was only good for one thing._

_“Give me one night of your time and I can guarantee you’ll get all of the materials you are asking for and more.”_

_Hux was temporarily speechless before anger started to bubble just beneath his cool exterior. Was this really what he was going to be reduced to? A General of the First Order prostituting himself for supplies? Then he thought about the schematics back in his office aboard the Finalizer for the ‘Starkiller’ project. About how much raw material it would need to be completed. If Dazarri could deliver more than what he was asking for, would it kill him to swallow his pride for one night? After considering that question long and hard, he was dismayed to discover the answer to it was sadly ‘no’. It would definitely be a blow to his pride, but the ends justified the means he concluded._

_“I don’t see why that can’t be arranged.” he responded in a formal tone. She hummed appreciatively._

_“I want you to walk outside and go east from the door. You will see a structure used for storage. The entrance in the back will be open. Wait for me there, lover. I’ll follow you out after a few minutes.” she breathed across the shell of his ear._

_He was momentarily stunned at how prepared she seemed to be for this scenario. He floundered before asking “Don’t you want to wait for a more comfortable setting?”_

_“Not a chance, lover. I’ve been thinking about this all night. I want you now.” he was not used to a woman being so open and expressive with her desires, especially when they were directed towards himself. Most of the women he dealt with were his subordinates though. None of them would dare to speak to him in such a way._

_“Very well.” he replied neutrally. As he was walking away from Dazarri, a short, squat older man approached her. They began to chat animatedly in their own language and he gave an exuberant laugh at something she had said. Dazarri was watching him when he slipped behind the line of potted trees to reach the exit that she had indicated._

_As he was about to withdraw out the side door, he heard a raised female voice, but could not quite hear what she was saying. The issue must have resolved itself because she quieted down almost immediately. He opted not to head back inside to investigate, lest his resolve to see this arrangement through to the end crumble._

_The night air was balmy and a light breeze ruffled his hair. He had immediately spotted the building Dazarri had indicated to use for their clandestine meeting. The gardens were deserted, so Hux was sure no one had seen him enter the shed. And then he waited...and waited...and waited some more._

_Just when he was about to head back to the gala thinking this had all been some cheap ploy to make him look foolish, the door had quietly slid open. Finally! He was beyond annoyed about having to wait in this filthy hovel for Dazarri to show up. He had to push down his irritation though and do this properly. That way there would be no reason for Dazarri to go back on her word.  
_  
Hux paused here in his memory. He stopped scrubbing his body as well and let the suds run down the flat plain of his stomach. He was trying desperately to recall every detail of the moment his mystery female had entered the shed.  
_  
The building had been pitch black inside and the evenings on Veustea II were also dark. This planet did not have any moons to brighten the night sky. So when she had slid open the door she had not been illuminated much. Just enough that he could tell she was wearing a red gown. Now that he thought about it though, her dress had been a different style than Dazarri’s. He had been so aggravated by the situation he had found himself in, that he hadn’t been paying close enough attention. He had been too focused on trying to play his role as the ‘enthusiastic’ lover._

 _When he had approached the woman from behind and wrapped his arms around her, she had tensed up like she hadn’t expected him. He had felt the soft curls of her long hair when he pulled her body close against his. Dazarri’s hair had been curled and loose too. He was only realizing now that the woman had been a few inches shorter, even though she was built similarly to the Ambassador. Dazarri was about the same height as he was and he had had to tilt his head down to whisper in this woman’s ear and kiss her shoulder.  
_  
It had felt good holding her in his arms though. Her body had fit nicely against his and her shoulder was the perfect height for him to rest his head on. No! No, no, no...he needed to quash these thoughts now before they took root in his head. He started scrubbing again.  
_  
While he had been waiting in the dark for Dazarri to arrive, he had decided that if they were going to do this, the rest of the encounter would be on his terms. When he had asked the woman for her consent and she had agreed, he had shoved her perhaps a little too roughly. But she hadn’t protested at any of his manhandling._

 _When he had found the weapons hidden on her body, he should have known it wasn’t Dazarri. Only their security teams were supposed to have come to this event armed. Dazarri wouldn’t have risked their negotiations going sour by coming to the party carrying anything she shouldn’t have, especially if her ultimate goal had been to talk him into bed with her.  
_  
Thinking about it now, in a strange way, he was oddly proud that one of his soldiers had not only armed herself under her formal wear, but had successfully snuck the weapons into the venue. He would definitely be having a word with Captain Phasma about his own security detail’s complete incompetence though.  
_  
She had reassured him and disarmed herself readily enough. When he had brought his hands back up to her body, he had pushed her face down on the table in the most vulnerable position he could, in case she had any more surprises. Bringing his hands to her waist and thighs, he found himself double checking to make sure she wasn’t hiding anything else on her person. Her skin had been soft beneath his fingers and silky smooth. He would have been lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed the feeling._

_When she had helped him remove her panties and he had spread her legs wider, she had accidently brushed across his budding erection. Hux was ashamed of the sound he had let escape from his mouth, but he could not remember the last time his cock had rubbed against anything that wasn’t his own hand and he had been desperate to feel it again. He was enjoying the friction he had created a little too much._

_Hux thought he should return the favor for her. His hand had found its way between her legs to rub her clit before he plunged his fingers into her dripping channel. He nearly came in his pants when he felt how wet she was for him. Knowing he had this effect on her was intoxicating._

_When she had started to make her little, wanton mewling noises he couldn’t take it any longer. He had struggled to get his pants off and found himself pushing deeply into her body without warning. She may have been wet, but he could tell by the tightness around his member that she had not been with anyone in quite some time. He couldn’t hold back the expletive that slipped out of his mouth at the feeling of it all._

_He had tried to wait as long as possible to allow her to adjust to his cock. When he couldn’t wait any longer he had pulled all the way out and slammed back in. He set a pace he thought would be enjoyable enough for both of them, but was perplexed when she stopped him. He might have been a tad sensitive when he asked her if there was a problem._

_It was when she had changed their positions and drew him back in that he realized he was losing his control over the situation. His plan to do this on his terms seemed to be slipping away with every stroke of her hand across his length. It had been so long since someone had touched him like that and he craved the contact. When she had demanded that he fuck her hard, he lost the last ounce of control that he had. Before he knew it, he had her braced against that table again and was fucking her as rough and fast as he could._

_Hux had been overwhelmed when she grabbed his neck and dragged him down to rest his head against hers. This position was so intimate, he had felt her breath ghosting across his face and her fingers pulling at his hair. For a moment he lost himself in the experience, forgetting this was supposed to be just an exchange of services. Being with her felt better than anything he had done in a long time._

_When he felt her beginning to tighten around him, he reached down to stroke her clit. He wanted to push her over the edge. He wanted her to lose herself in her throes of pleasure. He was proud he had reduced her to a quivering mess. When she spasmed around him, he could not hold back any longer. He thrust a few more times before filling her willing body with his cum. His orgasm was one of the most intense experiences of his entire life and it rocked him to his core. As he began to regain his senses, he realized he had let this go too far. Their time together was coming to an end and he needed to separate from her. He pulled her fingers out of his hair and removed himself from her space._

_Her next question had taken him by surprise and he was absolutely about to refuse her request, when without warning, she had grabbed him and brought her lips to his. He could feel something in her kiss. He wasn’t sure what it was, but she was pouring all of her emotions into it. In another momentary lapse in judgement, he had kissed her back. And it felt good. He had found himself thinking that the whole experience had been incredible and was even more bewildered to realize he would do it again even without the promise of resources.  
_  
Hux realized that he was slowly jerking his cock at the memory of the ‘shed incident’ as the warm water from the shower cascaded down his body. The only things he had thus far accomplished by trying to recall all the details of the evening was giving himself a raging hard-on and coming to the stinging realization he had been an idiot not to notice he was fucking the wrong person. Angry at his body’s continuous betrayals, he turned the shower knob to cold and blasted himself with frigid water.

“Kriff!” he yelped as the cold water pelted his skin, but he had succeeded in banishing his unwanted erection. Turning the water off, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed for a towel. As he dried himself, he tried again to focus.  
_  
She had just called him Sir. Dazarri had never called him by anything except his name. Who was he in here with?! And why did she let a total stranger continue to have his way with her when she could have easily stopped him? Unless...was she one of his crew? Had she known all along who she was in the shed with? Did she plan to use this against him? To blackmail him? His mind was racing with so many thoughts._

_She had been afraid when he grabbed her. He could tell because she was trembling in his hand, her wrist felt so delicate. He was afraid of hurting her so he had loosened his grasp. That had been a mistake. She had broken his grip on her with a simple maneuver that was taught to all cadets in the academy during hand-to-hand combat. She had the door open before he had understood what was happening. He had tried to pursue her, but he had never pulled his trousers back up. The only thing he succeeded in doing was tripping himself, falling hard on the floor and knocking over some gardening equipment. She was long gone before he had regained his footing and buttoned his pants up again. Still, he took off running after her._

_Hux was halfway across the park when he saw Dazarri walking out of the ballroom door. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting, lover. I couldn’t get away until just now.” she said walking towards him._

_“Was that you?” he asked her, out of breath from trying to catch up to his escaping quarry. She just looked confused. “Was that you?!” he was shouting now. He sounded slightly deranged, he knew. Dazarri was definitely startled by his outburst. He already knew the answer to the question, but he needed her to confirm it._

_“I don’t know what you are talking about. Are you ok, Armitage?” she asked. Her eyes were full of concern even though she had taken a step back from him._

_He ignored her query. “Did you see another woman? She would have been headed back inside right before you came out.” She still looked confused by his line of questioning, but she shook her head._

_“No, there was no one.” she said, fully taking in his chaotic appearance. He was covered in dirt from his fall, his shirt was half untucked and though his pants were now buttoned, they were still unzipped. “What happened to you, Armitage?”_

_He ignored her again. “Then who, pray tell, was the woman I just had sex with if it wasn’t you?” he roared at her. Her eyes widened as she finally grasped what was going on._

_“I don’t know. Armitage, I promise, I have nothing to do with whatever happened.” she was being sincere, he could tell, but his anger had not abated. He did not like the idea of some unknown person having leverage over him. Since he lacked the party directly responsible, he opted to take his anger out on the person he felt was indirectly responsible for his current predicament._

_“This is your fault!” he snapped. “If you would have just negotiated for the materials this would never have happened. But instead, you tried to satisfy your own selfish desires.” he ranted. Dazarri just stood there speechless, but she had the decency to look ashamed of her actions. He turned from her to head back to the shed._

_“Armitage,” she said softly “where are you going?”_

_“I’m going to collect the rest of my clothing. Then, I’m going back to my ship. Where I’m going to try to forget this ever happened.” he emphasized heavily on the word ‘going’ each time he spoke. He doubted he would ever forget this night though. She didn’t say anything else to him and she didn’t try to stop him._

_As he approached the open doorway to the shed, the first thing he saw was the woman’s abandoned underwear laying on the floor. He scooped them up before walking back to the table where he had left his coat and belt. He took his time redressing himself, trying to make his uniform as tidy as he could considering the circumstances. When he grabbed his greatcoat, his hand brushed across her weapons holster. In her rush, she had forgotten it. He pocketed it along with her panties. Perhaps further study of her belongings would give him a clue to her identity._

_When Hux stepped outside again, he noted Dazarri was gone. She had probably returned to the gala hoping to avoid any further instances where she might incur his wrath. Hux was definitely not going to reenter the building looking like he did, so he walked the long way around the exterior of the venue back to the docking platforms._

_He was still seething as he walked up the ramp of his private shuttle. He had barked at the pilot to take off immediately as he slumped down in a passenger's seat. The night had been a complete failure. He had not negotiated a deal for his supplies nor had he successfully delivered on his end of the bargain with Dazarri. His pride was wounded and he felt foolish for letting himself be taken advantage of by...well, someone. His hand clenched around the underwear in his pocket. He would find out who she was if it was the last thing he did. He stood and waited at the exit as his transport docked on the Finalizer.  
_  
Nothing. There was nothing he could remember from the whole night that was of any use. He slipped into his plush robe and wandered back out to the bedroom. His eyes were drawn immediately to the items that lay discarded on the corner of his bed. Perhaps he needed to inspect them closer, but first he wanted to check his messages.

He retrieved his datapad from his desk and was pleased to see the indicator light blinking, meaning that he had a new message. That would be his roster from Phasma. Tapping the screen to open his messages, he was not surprised to find one from her with the information he had requested, but he also had a second message from Dazarri.

He was nervous to open it at first, then he reminded himself not to be stupid. Nothing she could say would make this whole situation any worse than it already was. He touched the screen again to open her message.  
_  
Armitage,_

_I owe you an apology. You were correct when you said my behavior was unprofessional and I put you in a position you should never have been in. For that, you have my deepest regrets._

_In reparation for the wrong I have caused, please accept my pledge to deliver all of the materials itemized in the list below. We can have them ready in a month’s time for collection as well as another shipment to follow four months after that._

_Sincerely,  
Ambassador Dazarri Doxis til Azos  
_  
He opened up the itemized spreadsheet attached to her message and nearly dropped his datapad. The first shipment she was offering was more than double what he hoped to negotiate for. Plus, she had promised a second shipment to match the first. Somehow, he was about to come out on the other side of this debacle with more than he could have anticipated. He quickly wrote back accepting her offer with assurances that all was forgiven.

Suddenly, he felt lighter and more free. Dazarri’s message had lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders that he did not even realize he was carrying. He took his datapad with him back to his room. He still had one more thing he needed to take care of. He sat on the edge of his bed and opened Phasma’s message this time. She was as thorough and efficient as ever. Her message had the entire list of all the males and females that were scheduled for this special detail along with their personnel files attached.

As he looked at the roster, he became aware of how many of his people had actually been planetside tonight. According to the list, it was 242 of them. Even taking the males out he still had 98 women left. How was he going to narrow them down? He glanced at her stuff again. Maybe it was worth checking. He set down his datapad.

He started by picking up the panties. There was nothing out of the ordinary about them. They were just a sheer pair of black, lacy bikini briefs. Hux didn’t really know what he expected. It’s not like he thought she would have labeled them with her name or anything. As he stared at the underwear, he remembered the feel of her hips and bottom under his roaming hands. Maybe next time he would tie her down and take his time with her, use his teeth to pull her panties down as he teased her with his tongue.

Gah! He needed to snap out of it. She had nearly cost him and the First Order a huge deal for some of the raw materials needed to complete his ‘Starkiller’ project. Plus, she had taken advantage of a superior officer without his permission. When he found her, she would pay dearly for her transgressions. Maybe with a nice, hard spanking. Enough! He opened the drawer of his nightstand and shoved the offending undergarments inside.

He picked up the weapons holster next. He pulled the blaster out first to examine it. He let out a disgruntled noise. This was a standard issue weapon. Everyone aboard the Finalizer had at least one of these. He set it down on top of his nightstand and continued rifling through the pouch. He found two extra power packs for the blaster and a vibroblade.

Now this was not a standard issue weapon. The vibroblade was smaller, most likely making it easier for a female to wield and to conceal. The pommel was slender, but had a solid feeling in his hand. There were a series of different sized circles carved in it, fourteen in all. One was solid colored, the sixth circle on the hilt, but the rest were outlined only. They did not make up any discernible pattern that he could identify though.

The blade was made of a metal alloy common for this type of weapon. He was about to set it down, disappointed that it also had not yielded any clues to its owner, when he felt something beneath his fingers. It felt like scratches in the blade. He turned the weapon over in his hand. That is when he saw the Aurebesh engraved into the blade. The writing was small and he had to squint to read it:  
_  
Dumpling,  
Remember, all things are difficult before they are easy.  
Love you,  
Dad  
_  
Hux was laughing before he could stop himself. He had been used for sex in a filthy shed by a woman whose nickname was Dumpling. He was fairly certain that wasn’t her real name. The whole situation was starting to get more ridiculous by the minute. If this had not been happening to him, he would have said the whole thing was so far-fetched that it could have been a story right out of one of those romantic farce novels the female crew members liked to read.

He was going to have to do this a different way. What could he use to narrow down his search? He tapped his chin absently and thought about what he did know about her. He was careful when he set down her vibroblade next to the blaster. It probably had some sentimental value to her and he did not want to damage it. He picked up his datapad again.

She had armed herself with multiple weapons and she had used a hand-to-hand combat technique on him; he assumed she had a background in combat training from the academy. That eliminated the technicians and medical staff from the group. They were only trained minimally with ranged weapons, whereas a stormtrooper or an officer would be trained in all forms of combat. That criteria removed 32 females from the group.

Perhaps he was being too presumptuous, but he had had his hands all over her body. She had been toned and smooth under his fingers. He was guessing she was under 40 years old. That criteria only removed 16 women from the list.

Ah! He had held her against him, so he knew about how tall she was. Definitely taller than the average female, but shorter than he was. So he eliminated all the women shorter than 1.65 meters and any that were taller than 1.8 meters. He was thrilled to see that criteria removed a further 30 names from the roster.

That still left 20 potential women. What else did he know about her? He knew her approximate body proportions and the length of her hair. Neither of those things could help him narrow down the list more. He was going to have to start looking at their ID pictures next. Maybe seeing them would trigger something else in his memory.

So, he clicked through picture after picture. None of them sparked any feelings of familiarity though. These pictures were recent enough that he was able to eliminate 15 more people because they either had hair that was too short or their body type was different. He eliminated 1 more because she worked on the first platoon bridge crew already. She spoke with him regularly when giving reports, he was sure he would have recognized her voice.

That left him with the final four on his list. Two of them were stormtroopers and two were officers. He studied all of their records closely. Neither of the stormtroopers scored more than average in any of their aptitude tests or their combat training. Hux was not impressed. He turned his attention to the two officers.

The first one had graduated in the top 15% of her class. Her specialties were in alien languages and diplomacy. Ironic, he thought. She was currently doing a clerical work assignment in the maintenance offices. Probably setting repair schedules, ordering replacement parts or keeping inventories. Nothing terribly exciting for someone as intelligent as she was.

The second officer worked on the third platoon bridge crew, the ‘overnight’ shift when most aboard the Finalizer would be sleeping. That was the shift where officer’s careers essentially went to die. Officers put on third shift usually did not have impressive records and were generally the dregs of the academy graduates. He wasn’t expecting a lot when he pulled her transcripts.

But Hux was astonished as he read her file. Her academy scores were off the charts. She had excelled in almost everything she did except diplomacy. Also, ironic. She had chosen weapons engineering as her primary specialty, but from the looks of her aptitude scores she could have picked anything. Her secondary area of study was electrical engineering. Her interest was obviously in the design and improvement of various technologies and based on her records she would do extraordinarily well.

So, how had she slipped by unnoticed? She had been assigned to the third platoon since coming aboard the Finalizer and was serving under Captain Radde. He was both competent and fair. All of her reviews from him were exceptional. Hux was curious as to why he had not submitted her for a promotion or at least for reassignment to a position more befitting of her skills. That was another issue for him to mull over later.

Hux needed to decide how he wanted to handle this now that he had narrowed down his mystery woman to one of these four. The easiest way to determine the culprit would be through close observation and direct interaction. He was sure that he would be able to tell who she was once he got close enough to her. This was easier said than done. None of them lived or worked in the same part of the ship, they didn’t even all work the same shifts.

He was pondering his conundrum when he had a stroke of genius. He wasn’t going to chase them all over his ship. He would make them come to him. He grabbed his datapad again. It was simple enough to move the two female stormtroopers to the first platoon guard duty on the bridge. The first officer whose file he pulled would be his new personal assistant. The second officer would be transferred to the first platoon bridge crew. If she showed promise, he would find her work that she was better suited for.

He typed the transfer orders for everyone’s direct supervisors and for each of the women, ordering them to report to the bridge for their new assignments in two cycles. He hesitated, finger hovering over the send button. Was this really what he wanted? What if he did find his unknown shed woman? What would he do then? What if he was completely wrong about these women and none of them were her? Would he be disappointed? Did he really want to know? His stomach clenched as he ran through all the scenarios in his head.

Conclusively, the answer was yes. He didn’t just want to know, now he was so invested in his own feelings for her that he had to know who she was. He didn’t hesitate a second time. The notification that his messages had been sent flashed across his screen. Satisfied, he set his datapad down next to her blaster and vibroblade and tucked himself into bed. It was a long time before he was able to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me comments if you have any feedback, questions, corrections, etc. Thanks again for reading and for your time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After you receive your transfer orders, you have your first face-to-face encounters with General Hux. They do not go as you anticipated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am overwhelmed by the amount of kudos and comments I've received so far. I really do appreciate every kind word of encouragement. It makes me so incredibly happy.
> 
> I'm so sorry this took so long to write. As I said, I have been really busy with work and I'd be lying if I said this chapter wasn't difficult to write. I have the whole story pretty much outlined with a lot of detail except a couple of bits, this being one of them. With that being said, I really hope it meets with everyone's approval and that I've maintained the standard you were expecting. As always, comments and feedback is very welcome. Thanks!
> 
> On a completely separate note, at work I've been seeing a huge increase in suicidal citizens and people having both verbal and physical domestic disputes at home during this quarantine. For anyone who is feeling alone, trapped or depressed, etc. please, please, please don't hesitate to ask for help. I'm always available if you need someone to talk to or if you need help finding local guidance or resources. I updated my profile to include all my social media where anyone in need can reach out privately to me. Stay safe y'all!

You struggled to get any meaningful sleep after you realized your colossal screw up. You didn’t actually drift off until the wee hours of the morning and even then your sleep was fitful. By mid-morning you crawl out from under your covers having given up on getting any substantial rest and resign yourself to walking around in a sleep deprived stupor.

As you sit on the edge of your bed trying to make yourself stand up and get dressed, you stare blankly at various things around your room. Eventually, you notice the blinking light on your datapad. Your stomach drops as you stare at it.

This was it. This was the end of your career with the First Order. General Hux was sure to have figured out your identity. Did you really think you would get away with your little escapade last night? Why had you let your crushing desires overpower your rational mind? Your head was spinning as you started to panic.

It takes you a few minutes to steel your nerves enough to even get up. You pad softly across your room and carefully pick up the datapad. Your mouth is dry as you trace your finger over the screen to unlock it. Tapping on the message icon, you hold your breath.

_Lieutenant,_

_Effective immediately, you are being reassigned to the First Platoon Bridge Crew. You are expected to be present for your initial shift at 0800 hrs in two days time. You will report directly to Lt. Mitaka for further briefing of your new duties._

_Signed,  
General A. Hux_

Your first reaction is surprise. That was not what you were expecting to read. 

Your second reaction is trepidation. This couldn’t be a coincidence being moved from the overnight shift to the daytime shift. The General was the highest ranking command officer on duty during the dayshift.

But if he had figured out your identity and you were going to be charged with assaulting a superior officer why not just send some stormtroopers to collect you? What was the purpose of changing your schedule?

You chewed on your lower lip while you considered how to handle this turn of events. You could report to your new shift and act like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Go about your business, do all your work and try to fly under the radar. Take this opportunity to work with General Hux like you always wanted to. Try not to slip up and give yourself away...

Stars no! That would never work. You would be a nervous wreck around him. If he didn’t know already, he would have it figured out by lunchtime. Your only choice would be to go to your Captain and see if he could stop this transfer.

You quickly get dressed in the first thing you can find. It’s a faded, baggy grey jumpsuit stained from heavy usage. It’s something you liked to wear when working on some of your dirtier mechanical projects. You tie up your hair and don’t even glance at yourself in the mirror before leaving your quarters. You’re too desperate to see your Captain to care what you look like at this point.

The halls are busier than you’ve ever seen them. You would normally be sleeping at this time, so you had never realized how many people were constantly coming and going on the ship. You were uncomfortably aware, all of a sudden, of how slovenly you must appear to the others around you. You picked up your pace and kept your head down all the way to the nearest turbolift.

Captain Radde’s rooms were on the lower level of the command deck with all the other Captain’s quarters. When you reach his door, you practically smash your hand through the panel to activate the alert chime. As you wait for him to answer, you try to back further against the wall and blend in so as not to draw the attention of any higher ranking officers that might be walking by.

When your Captain didn’t answer, you hit the button again. And again. And again until you heard the door activate and slide open.

“I can’t wait to hear all about the emergency you think warranted waking me up at this time of day, Lieutenant.” he says in a gruff, sleep laden voice. You flush with embarrassment. You had been so preoccupied with your problem that you hadn’t even considered that this was his normal sleep cycle as well.

“I’m sorry sir. I wasn’t thinking. I can come back later.”

“Get in here, Lieutenant.” he says, gesturing to his open doorway. “We are way past that point now. I’m not getting back to sleep until we resolve whatever…” he makes a broad sweeping motion with his hand at your generally rumpled and unkempt appearance “...this is.”

“Yes sir.” you slip by him into his rooms. You had never been in his quarters before. Everything in his room was neat, tidy and in its proper place unlike in your own disorderly quarters. You were awed by the large bookcase full of actual printed books, some of which appeared to be quite old. You would never have pegged your Captain as much of a reader, let alone as someone who would spend so many credits to maintain a small library of sorts. 

“Sit Lieutenant.” he said, indicating the plush reading chair near his bookcase. He sat down on the edge of his unmade bed and rubbed at his eyes. You finally noticed his attire consisted of sleep pants and a fitted tank top. You really had woken him from a dead slumber. You suddenly feel very guilty and begin to fidget.

“So Lieutenant, spit it out.” he said, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“Have you checked your messages yet, sir?”

“Obviously not.” he replied. “Why?”

“I’ve been transferred to a new platoon. Effective in two cycles.” he is frowning now and doesn’t respond to you as he stands up. He collects his own datapad from a nearby dresser and immediately starts scrolling through his inbox. You can tell the moment he finds the message with your transfer orders when he visibly tenses up.

As he reads his own message, the frown lines in his face deepen. His memo must have had more information than yours because it takes him several minutes to read the whole thing. When he is done he sets his datapad down with a sigh and returns to the edge of his bed. “Well that’s, that.”

“But sir. Can’t you…” You start, but he cuts you off.

“No, I can’t. This directive came personally from General Hux. You will report to Lt. Mitaka as ordered.”

“Did the General say why?” You meant for that question to come out sounding nonchalant and mildly curious, but instead you come off sounding like a guilty child who got caught doing something wrong.

“Is there something you want to tell me Lieutenant?” Radde is giving you ‘the look’, meaning his expression said he knew something was going on. Not surprising really. You had been working with him for quite awhile and you had a terrible Sabacc face.

“No sir. It just seems so sudden.” You felt awful about not being completely honest with him, especially since it was obvious you weren’t being truthful, but what could you really say? There was no nice way to tell him you took advantage of General Hux on an old rickety table in the middle of a dilapidated shed during a diplomatic party.

The look he gives you is full of disbelief. “It seems the General has taken an interest in your service records. He suggested that leaving you on the third platoon might not allow you to express your full potential.” he was trying to gauge your reaction.

Now you were very confused. If he had figured out who you were, this was quite an elaborate ruse with no clear end game. You didn’t know what to think, but your facial expressions must have told your Captain all he needed to know.

“Whatever it is you are worried about, it can’t be that bad, Lieutenant. You are a competent and efficient worker.” he says meeting your gaze. “You can accomplish anything you put your mind to. Your only problem is that you lack confidence in yourself.”

You don’t know what to say. You always felt like Captain Radde had a soft spot for you, but you never realized he thought so highly of your abilities as an officer. You can feel the beginnings of tears forming in your eyes.

As if reading your thoughts he says, “Now don’t go getting all weepy on me. Everything I said is true. Just remember, when you start on the dayshift platoon it’s more political. More competitive.” You nod your head hanging on his every word.

“I know you have a tendency to want to help everyone, but you need to be more vigilant. Watch your back. There are a lot more people trying to advance their own careers at someone else’s expense.” he is talking to you like this is a mission briefing. In an odd way, you find that comforting. Missions you could understand, whereas bureaucracy was totally unfamiliar territory for you.

“Don’t let your peers take advantage of you. If you have a good idea, fight to be heard. Don’t let them brush you off. Take credit for the work you do and the things you accomplish.”

“Y-yes sir.” your voice is shaky, but his impassioned discourse has actually made you feel better about the whole situation. You feel yourself finally relaxing for the first time since you read the transfer orders.

“Now, I’d like to actually get some sleep if you don’t mind.” he states, standing up from his bed. He walks you to the door, but before he opens it he says “You’ll be fine. I’m approving you for a leave day. You don’t need to report for your assignment tonight. Take some time to relax and prepare yourself for your first day. And go get yourself something to eat. You look like a starved womp rat.”

“But sir, I don’t…”

“You’re welcome, Lieutenant.” he says, heading off your protest and opening the door.

“Uh, yes thank you sir.” you mumble.

“Now get out.” his words sound harsh, but his eyes are full of suppressed laughter as he pushes you through the doorway.

Thanks to your Captain’s pep talk, you are feeling almost carefree as you walk down the corridors. You realize that you are actually starving so you decide to take his advice and head to the commissary. It’s just about lunchtime anyway.

When you approach the cafeteria, you can see the line is already long so you hurry to join the queue. As the line shuffles forward slowly, you can smell a delicious aroma wafting out from the kitchen and your mouth begins to water. From the smell, you realize they are serving one of your favorite dishes today: Gi Dumpling Soup! While you stand in line waiting, you notice everyone around you is chatting in groups, laughing at each other’s jokes, or obviously flirting. It makes you a little sad.

You hadn’t had a close friend since your roommate from the academy. You missed her terribly. She had been everything that you wanted to be. Confident, sassy and sexy. She never took druk from anyone. She had never been a great student, but she had been absolutely brilliant when it came to mechanical engineering and repair work. She could disassemble, fix and reassemble anything you put in front of her.

You grabbed a tray and began loading it up with anything that looked good, which was just about everything. You ended up with a sizeable slice of All-Almakian apple pie, Rodian stuffed peppers and a side of Luilris mushrooms. And of course, a huge bowl of Gi dumpling soup. Your taste in food would probably best be described as eclectic. Lastly, you grabbed yourself a tall cup of caf. You were definitely going to need it to get through the rest of the day.

Once you had everything balanced on the tray, you lifted it and turned to find a place to sit. Except you slammed into something solid. Your entire tray flew out of your hands and directly into someone's back. You watched in horror as your cup of caf splashed across a crisp, pristine uniform and your bowl of soup soared in an arc towards a thick mane of ginger hair. Dishes clattered to the floor around you and the cafeteria went silent.

Everyone’s eyes were on you as General Hux stiffened, soup broth and caf dripping down the back of his uniform. You watched his gloved hands ball up into fists. You couldn’t move, you couldn’t breathe. As he turned to face you, he seemed to be moving in slow motion. His face was flushed bright red with anger. You didn’t know what to do, so you just stood there staring at him anxiously.

“Technician, are you completely incompetant or just blind?” The General’s hard voice carries across the silent room. It doesn’t even occur to you to correct him about your rank or job designation.

“I...no sir. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there.” 

“Technician, what…” You notice he is looking directly at you. You lower your gaze to the floor and realize your tray and dishes are scattered all around the both of you. Without thinking, you instantly dropped to your knees, grabbed the tray and started picking up the debris off the ground inadvertently ignoring whatever the General is saying to you.

The General’s boots disappear from your line of sight and you foolishly think he might let you off easy. You continue stacking plates on the tray and use some napkins to try to soak up the broth and caf. Suddenly a bucket of soapy water is dropped down in front of you. Water sloshes out onto the floor. You look up at him. He holds out a small brush.

“Scrub.” he says in a dark tone, dropping the brush into the pail. This causes the water to spray in every direction, including at your face. You can feel the heat bloom across your cheeks as a wave of embarrassment washes over you. You look down again and reach for the brush floating in the water.

“Yes sir.” your response is barely a whisper. All around you, you can hear people snickering. The realization makes your stomach roil and you feel like you might dry heave. You never thought of General Hux as being spiteful or a bully. He always seemed like he was above such petty reprisals.

You scrub the floor thoroughly and pick up the remaining detritus. When you are done, you put the brush back in the bucket and wait for his next instructions while still refusing to meet his eyes. You feel humiliated and ashamed.

“Technician, look at me.” Your eyes slowly drift up to look at him. You feel the first tear roll down your cheek as your eyes lock with his cold green gaze. “Get out of my sight. Now.”

You don’t need to be told twice. You scramble to get to your feet and you practically run out of the commissary. You can hear people laughing as you depart. Finally, you let your tears fall freely as the sound follows you down the hallway and all the way back to your quarters. Once the door slides closed, you sink down against it and really begin to sob. Loudly.

This was not how you expected your first direct interaction with General Hux to go. You had never thought he would be so unnecessarily cruel. There was another thing you were sure about now too. There was definitely no recognition in the look he gave you. He had no idea who you were. All for the best, you thought miserably. Better to quash any unrealistic dreams you had of anything further developing between the two of you. When you feel like you can't cry anymore you get up and wipe your eyes.

You were at a crossroads now. You could choose to let this setback drag you down into a miasma of depression and self-doubt. Or you do as your Captain said. Prove your worth and stand up for yourself for a change. You stare at your reflection in the mirror meeting your own bloodshot eyes.

Captain Radde was right. You knew nobody deserved to have that kind of power over you. General or not, what right did Hux have to treat you like that? To demean you in front of all those crew members? You were not going to tolerate this kind of conduct, especially from someone you had looked up to as a hero of sorts. You would show him that you were better than his first impression suggested.

You were all fired up now. You needed to hit something.

You quickly stripped off your coveralls and grabbed some leggings and a tank top. You tightly braided your hair back and out of your face, then you were off. There was a large gym two decks below that you liked to use regularly. The walk there was quick. As soon as you were through the doors you went straight for a simulation pod. You didn’t bother with any of the weapons on the way in. You wanted to hit something with your bare hands.

You fiddled with the settings on the pod for a moment, setting the simulation for a 60 minute hand-to-hand combat program at a level 7 difficulty. Alone you could normally handle about a 5, but you wanted a challenge. Thirty seven minutes in, the simulation ended with you ‘dead’. Your breathing was heavy and you were sweating as you collapsed on the floor of the pod. But as exhausted as you were, you still felt proud. This was a new personal best.

And this was how you spent the next day too. Beating up simulated enemies until you couldn’t stand upright any longer. You went to bed the night before your new shift tired, but satisfied. You had worked out your frustrations on the simulator and you had resolved some of your insecurities. Hux may not be impressed by you now, but he had yet to truly see you at work. You would change his mind soon enough.

You woke up early for your first day shift on the bridge. You make sure that you have a perfectly pressed uniform and highly polished boots. You pull your hair back into a long thick braid and make sure it is neat. You grab a quick protein cube from your emergency rations so you can avoid the cafeteria and head out your door in a timely manner. You arrive at the bridge about 20 minutes before your shift is scheduled to start. Captain Radde nods at you in acknowledgment and you return it. Seeing him helps strengthen your resolve.

You notice you are not the only one waiting. There is already a female stormtrooper standing against a wall with her helmet tucked under her arm. She’s beautiful and her presence commands attention. She had a perfectly straight sheet of honey blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were constantly moving back and forth observing everything going on around her. She looks over at you as you come to stand next to her.

“Are you new to this shift as well?” You ask tentatively while watching various crew members going about their work routines.

“Yeah,” she replies in a surprising deep, powerful voice. “I got my transfer orders two days ago.”

Your attention snaps back to her. “Really?”

“Is that when your orders came too?”

“Yeah.” You don’t know what else to say about it. You had thought this transfer had something to do with your planetside indulgence. But if that was the case, what did this woman have to do with it?

“I’m DP1899.” she says and then smiles. “My name is Mavis.” she holds out her hand to shake yours.

You accept it. “I’m BN2337.” You say and give her your name. “Nice to meet you.”

You and Mavis chat amiably for the next ten minutes or so as day shift officers filter in and relieve their third shift colleagues. Another female stormtrooper also joins you both in waiting against the wall.

She stands there quite stiffly until Mavis decides to strike up a conversation with the brunette. You learn that she is HW2606. She does not offer her name and she is a lot less friendly than Mavis is. She also informs you both that she was transferred to this shift two days ago and if her facial expression is anything to go by she is not happy about it.

Soon after a fourth person joins your group. She comes running through the doors with barely a minute to spare, high heels clicking obnoxiously with every step.

She is strikingly gorgeous. The new officer is also blonde, but her hair is a lighter, more ashy shade than Mavis’. She has it done in a sort of messy updo. Her black uniform is incredibly tight, showing off her ample bosom. The skirt is as short as it can be without being completely obscene while still showing off her long legs. She has wide, sparkling brown eyes the color of rich chocolate and perfectly done makeup.

“Made it! I thought for sure that I was going to be late.” she says breathlessly. “And I made it here before Hux too. This is my lucky day.”

Something about her attitude rubs you the wrong way. Or perhaps you were just a little bit peeved about how casually she was talking about the General. You can’t stop yourself from asking though: “Did you also get transfer orders two days ago?”

“Yes, I did.” she says, full attention on you now. “Why do you ask?”

“What position do you normally work on the bridge?”

“Oh honey,” she gives you a maddeningly patronizing look “I’m not a member of the bridge crew. I’m Hux’s new personal assistant.” she giggles. “How fortuitous is that? He is so handsome and powerful. And I’m going to have the opportunity to be all close and personal with him. Maybe we will have a torrid and passionate love affair.” she simpers.

You can see Mavis making retching motions in the background. You, on the other hand, were seeing red. “What’s your name?” your tone sounds harsh even to your ears. Now, you’ve also drawn the attention of the second stormtrooper.

“It’s Hask.” she is staring at you with wide eyes. Your change in tone has taken her by surprise.

“Well Petty Officer Hask, I’d prefer you address me by Lieutenant, not honey. And you would do well to remember that when speaking to any superior officer.” you lecture. You can see Mavis laughing from behind Hask. “And you should be more respectful when talking about any of your colleagues aboard this ship. Especially when that person is General Hux.”

“Of course, Lieutenant.” she replies in a sardonic tone while giving you a less than friendly look. You don’t know what came over you. You’d never pulled rank on anyone before, especially to admonish them.

“What is wrong with this thing…?” You heard someone asking behind you. You turned to see a very young, blonde Petty Officer hitting the monitor of his console. No one seemed to be paying him any attention and certainly no one was queuing up to offer him any help. You instantly forgot about your tirade and Hask. Instead, you drift off towards him.

As you walk up behind him, you gently grab his gloved hand before he can bring it down on the console again. “Petty Officer, what are you doing?” you ask him, letting him go.

He looks startled for a moment before he replies. “I’m sorry Lieutenant. The console isn’t working properly.” He blushes probably realizing he was acting slightly childish.

“Well Petty Officer…?” you trail off.

“Thanisson ma’am.”

“Thanisson. It’s nice to meet you.” you introduce yourself. “Remember Thanisson, we should treat this ship with the respect that it deserves. It keeps us safe and alive. And if we want things to work sometimes you have to use a delicate touch rather than brute force.” You’re in teaching mode now. “Come Thanisson, lets go get the right tools for the job.” you say leading him away.

“Ma’am shouldn’t we just call a technician down here to take care of it?”

“Nonsense.” You say with a smile. “Everyone should know some basic maintenance.”

He smiles back and seems incredibly grateful for your help. Looking at the rest of the crew on deck you realize he is a good 10 or more years younger than the rest of them. He probably wasn’t used to people listening to him let alone helping him out.

You take him to a small storage closet right off the bridge and show him where you keep some spare tools and components. On your way back to his console you notice the other transfers still waiting against the wall. There is no sign of General Hux or Lt. Mitaka so you show him how to remove the panel off the front of the terminal.

“Once this is off you can see that you’ll have to crawl underneath to get to the internal wiring.” you motion to a small space under the edge of the computer’s outer casing. “Ok, grab that light and let's go on an adventure.”

You kneel on the floor and crawl underneath the console. Thanisson drops down beside you and follows you inside.

“Ok.” you say grabbing the light. “See this box here? This is your power supply. And this over here is the processor. The big thing right here is the motherboard.” you point out various components and explain what they do to him. He is eager to learn and absorbs information like a sponge. He asks a lot of analyzing questions too. His facial expressions are so unguarded, you can actually watch and see when his mind connects everything together.

“So ma’am, do you know what the problem is?” he asks.

“Of course I do. I am a mechanical genius after all.” you say teasingly. “Look right here.” you point to the power supply cables. “See this one? It’s burnt right through to the wire and it’s damaged now so it’s not delivering power to where it’s supposed to.” you show him the melted outer coating and let him get a look at the shiny, broken wires sticking out. “All we need to do is rip this one out and replace it. You should be up and running in no time.”

He smiles again. “Who knew something so small could cause the entire terminal to shut down.”

“Exactly. That’s why things have to be done carefully. Even the smallest details make a huge difference when it comes to engineering. To overlook even one, can mean the difference between something working properly and ending up dealing with a mechanical disaster. Now, crawl back out there and grab the portable soldering torch and the extra spool of cable so I can fix this.” you tell him while yanking the bad wire off the power supply.

He shimmies out of the console to get the materials. You silently sit there for several minutes waiting for him to return with the supplies you asked for. When he doesn’t you peek out just enough to see his boots. He is standing right there so you aren’t sure what the issue is. You wait another minute before smacking him on the side of his boot. Not hard, just enough to get his attention.

“Thanisson. Hand me that stuff so I can fix this.” you hold your hand out waiting for the supplies you need. A gloved hand sets the torch in your outstretched palm. Then it returns with the small spool of wire. “Thanks. I’ll be finished in a minute.” You think it’s odd he didn’t climb back in with you. With how inquisitive he seemed to be, you thought he would want to watch the actual repair work too. No matter. You finish soldering both ends of the cable in place and slide out from under the terminal.

Except the person standing there isn’t Thanisson. He is standing a few paces away looking pale and nervous. You can still see the other transfers standing against the wall. All of them are watching you now as is the rest of the bridge, including General Hux. He stands towering over you and looking down. It had been his leg you had hit with your filthy hand, which had left a dusty handprint on his glossy boots.

This could not be happening to you again. How had you inadvertently made a complete idiot of yourself in front of him for the second time in two days.

“Nice of you to join us Lieutenant.” His tone is sarcastic and cool. You would not deal with him again while cowering on the floor like in the commissary. This time you would be standing and looking at him directly in the eyes.

As you stood upright, you brought your gaze up to meet his and replied far more confidently than you felt. “My apologies General Hux. Just completing a simple repair on the console.”

You were able to see the exact moment he recognizes you from the cafeteria. His eyes widen minutely, but they never leave yours as he says “Is it casual day Lieutenant? I never said you were at ease.”

You snap to attention. “Apologies again sir.”

“Lieutenant. May I ask why you were repairing this console instead of a trained technician?”

You grit your teeth. He seemed to be looking for anything and everything to nitpick at you about. “Sir, it was a simple repair. I did not need the assistance of a technician to complete it.”

“How do you know that you repaired the terminal correctly?”

You continue to look at him. The connection between the two of you is palpable, almost tangible. It seems like his gaze is stripping you down bare, both body and soul. You always felt like your eyes were too expressive and gave away too much of your inner thoughts. You feel like if he stares any deeper into them, he will be able to read your mind. He will know your darkest secrets and desires.

You reach out with your right hand to hit the power switch on the console. It powers up and the monitor begins to display the system diagnostics as all the programs load. You don’t say anything, but deep down you thank your lucky stars that you had fixed it correctly.

“Lieutenant. My office. Now.” he snaps striding towards the doors. “You,” he says pointing at Hask. “With me.”

She doesn’t hesitate. She’s clicking down the hallway behind him immediately. You move much slower behind both of them. Thanisson looks apologetic as you pass him. You put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and continue on. Mavis looks grimly at you, but she discreetly nods her head in solidarity. You return it with your own slight bob before walking out the doors and down the hallway.

Hux’s office is at the end of a short corridor right off the bridge. The only other rooms in this area are a large conference room and the command dining room. You walk in through the open door at the end of the hall. Hux is already seated behind his desk and Hask has seated herself comfortably in one of the two chairs in front of his desk holding a datapad. You opt to stand at attention and wait for General Hux to say something.

“Lieutenant, you may be accustomed to doing things a certain way on the third platoon, but on this shift we call trained technicians to do all repairs on the bridge. That way they are done correctly.”

You nearly laugh out loud. You had been repairing most of the consoles on the bridge since you came aboard The Finalizer, which incidentally was why they almost never needed repairs in the first place. You, of course, could not prevent the standard wear and tear like the burnt out wire, but you were sure the rest of your work was at least comparable to a technician’s, if not better.

“Again, my apologies sir.” he looked pleased by your acquiescence, but you stupidly couldn’t keep your mouth shut. “But in my opinion sir, everyone on that bridge should know how to do simple repairs on their stations. In an emergency, we won’t have time to wait for a technician to do a full refurbishment.”

“Well Lieutenant, it’s not your opinion that matters.” Right. Of course, your opinion didn’t matter. “In fact…” Whatever Hux was about to say is cut off by the intercom on his desk.

“Sir, you’re needed right away on deck 63. There has been an ‘accident’ and one of the generators has sustained some eh, lightsaber related damage...” the nervous voice trails off.

“Damnit Ren. You won’t get away with destroying my ship this time. I’m going to make sure the Supreme Leader hears about this.” Hux seems to have forgotten that both you and Hask are still there. “I’ll be right down.” he replies to the person on the intercom.

He looks up then and realizes both of you are watching him. “You wait here.” he says pointing at you before exiting his office. You watch him walking down the hallway at a frenzied pace. You had heard through the rumor mill that the General and Lord Ren had a tumultuous working relationship on the best of days, but you had never actually witnessed any of their interactions. It looked like this gossip actually had some truth to it.

“Hmm, wonder what we have here.” You heard Hask shuffling through stuff on General Hux’s desk.

“What do you think you’re doing?” You can’t believe she had the audacity to go through the General’s belongings.

“Oh don’t be such a fragging stick in the mud.” she said moving a stack of flimsi to the side. She picked up a portable holoprojector. “Now let’s see what he’s been looking at.” she hit the button and the holoprojector turned on. The projected image that appeared was huge. It looked like a weapon design similar to the old Death Stars, but there was something different about it. 

You came closer to the desk to inspect it. No it wasn’t a ship design, it was a weapon terraformed into the existing geographical features of a planet. This would be a massive undertaking and would need a ridiculous amount of resources.

“How boring.” Hask said about to turn off the holoprojector.

“Don’t touch it.” You say swatting her hand away.

You pull the portable projector closer to you and start zooming in on different sections. As you read the schematics you begin to get more excited. The design was brilliant and elegantly done. You wondered if this was Hux’s own design. You quickly grab a blank piece of flimsi off of his desk and start making notes. As you inspect each area, you jot down the section numbers and make any notes for improvement or ideas that come to mind. You completely lose yourself in the moment. You don’t even notice how much time has passed until a voice startles you out of your contemplation.

“What the kriff do you think you’re doing? How dare you go through my desk.” Hux’s voice is dangerously low. You look up and realize he is standing right next to you. His hair is slightly askew like he had been running his fingers through it. You swivel your head around to look for Hask. She is perched in the seat by his desk once again, an innocent look on her face. You realize she has left Hux’s desk a mess, making it obvious his stuff has been rifled through. You were going to throttle her the next chance you got.

“Sir, I didn’t touch...I was just looking at these schematics. Are these your designs? This is genius, but there are a few things I’ve noticed that you might want to look at again.” Your ‘few’ things had been written across three sheets of flimsi because after you had filled the first sheet, you had grabbed another and another. You also recognized that you were talking really fast in your enthusiasm to discuss the project blueprints. “Like this section I’m looking at here sir. This needs at least two more exhaust ports to make sure there is no overheating. And I would tighten up the security of this door. There are important operational components here and they could be easily sabotaged…”

“Shut up.” his voice is barely above a whisper.

“Wha…”

“Shut up you blaster-brained moron. You are too dimwitted to possibly comprehend what you are looking at.” It felt like being slapped in the face. In fact, you would have rather been slapped. Again, you could feel the tears forming. “You have the nerve to go through my personal things and then sit here and try to deny it. Then you have the gall to try to make corrections to an elaborate weapon design you are too ignorant to appreciate. Does your empty-headed arrogance have no limits?”

You couldn’t handle another minute of being in his presence. Without another word or waiting to be dismissed you started out the door of his office. “Lieutenant.” his voice stops you in your tracks, but you refuse to turn around. You won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry again.

“You are relieved of your duties for the rest of the shift. Use this time to go get a proper uniform. Report to Lt. Mitaka tomorrow morning, properly attired, and try to remember your place. If you step out of line one more time, you will find yourself scrubbing fresher units with a toothbrush for the remainder of your time on The Finalizer.” It seems he just can’t help himself. He would not be happy until he had beaten you down completely.

You don’t acknowledge him, you just walk away feeling totally defeated and full of self-loathing. No matter what you did, it seemed General Hux was bound and determined to despise you. Maybe you were just a presumptuous idiot, but everything you did was in service of the First Order, in service of him. All you had wanted to do was help him achieve his goals in whatever capacity you could offer. Why couldn’t he see that?

As you ride the turbolift to the tailoring department you come to the realization that you aren’t really mad at yourself though. You had been nothing, but loyal to him and the First Order. You didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of all of his unreasonable, unbridled rage. You knew your worth even if he couldn’t see it. But he had made you doubt yourself and you hated him for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for reading. I don't want to say I hope you liked the chapter because I wrote some awful things, but instead I'll say that I hope you still find this story interesting enough that you want me to continue. Please feel free to comment with any thoughts or reach out to me through any of my other social media outlets found on my profile.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave your thoughts, comments, questions, adoring fan mail, threats, hate mail etc. This is supposed to be a multi-chapter story, but I'd like to get an idea if it needs a severe overhaul or if I'm doing ok. Thanks for reading!


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